Who recorded the 1966 classic 'When a Man Loves a Woman' with a broken arm?

Percy Sledge recorded the 1966 soul classic “When a Man Loves a Woman,” including the version associated with the broken-arm anecdote. The song became his defining recording and one of the best-known ballads in soul music.

Sledge was working as a hospital orderly in Alabama and performing with the Esquires Combo when he was introduced to producer Quin Ivy. The song grew from an emotional performance inspired by a broken relationship, with bandmates Calvin Lewis and Andrew Wright receiving the songwriting credit.

The recording was made in the Muscle Shoals area, first at Rick Hall’s FAME Studios and then at Norala Sound Studio in Sheffield, Alabama. Atlantic executive Jerry Wexler requested another take after objecting to the horns on the first version.

Released in 1966, Sledge’s recording topped both the Billboard Hot 100 and the R&B chart. Michael Bolton’s 1991 cover also reached No. 1, which can cause confusion, but Sledge made the original hit recording.